Enrollment
12
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 270010803015
Heartland Elementary — Lake Benton, MN
Federal NCES profile for Heartland Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 76
🌟 Gifted program 30
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Pipestone Area School District · Minnesota
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
6:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-62% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
75.0%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+75% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Heartland Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Heartland Elementary reports 12 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 2.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 62% below the Minnesota state mean of 15.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 62% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 75.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 75% above the Minnesota average and 45% above the national baseline.
On the finance side, the surrounding Pipestone Area School District spends $20,479 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 21.0% from local sources (property taxes), 64.8% from the state, and 14.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-), calculated from 2 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Heartland Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Minnesota state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 6:1 | ▼ 62% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 75.0% | ▲ 75% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 12 | top 7% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
75.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 75% above the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
6:1
students per teacher
— 62% below state mean
Top 8% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Funding equity
$20,479
per pupil, district-wide
— below Minnesota avg of $21,113
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 12 Top 7% in Minnesota — larger than 93% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 2.0
Students per teacher 6:1 -62% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 75.0% +75% vs state
NCES ID 270010803015
Student demographics
White 100.0%
Largest group: White at 100.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pipestone Area School District, which includes Heartland Elementary.
$20,479
Per student
-3%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
+5%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 21.0%
State 64.8%
Federal 14.2%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 580
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Enrollment
- 302
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 244
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Heartland Elementary
How many students attend Heartland Elementary?
Heartland Elementary has 12 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in LAKE BENTON, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Heartland Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Heartland Elementary is 6:1, which is 62% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 62% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Heartland Elementary?
75.0% of students at Heartland Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Heartland Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Heartland Elementary is White at 100.0%. The school serves a student body in LAKE BENTON, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Heartland Elementary?
Heartland Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.